Luxury Travel, Lifestyle and Marketing Trends

Popular wisdom among luxury brands is never to cut prices or risk devaluing the exclusive perception. But in these times when even the top economists and business leaders can’t seem to find the route to prosperity, everything is up for re-evaluation.

Luxury providers constantly need to challenge themselves to find new ways of meeting (even exceeding) their customers expectations. The saavy, wealthy and on-the-go constituents of Generation X and Generation Y expect more capability, flexibility and technology.

Many PR firms are grappling with social media and the micro-blogosphere, and how they relate to our business and industry. If you’re not familiar with tweets, tweetups or DM’s, you should be.

The last 45 days have dramatically ushered in a new era where suddenly, anything that smacks of excess comes across as tasteless and unseemly.

What blockbuster did for movie rentals, Time Inc. is doing for magazine sales – it’s turning the magazine world on its head by launching Maghound, a mix and match service for magazines.

Travel marketer take note: More and more adults are taking career sabbaticals and its becoming a respectable mainstream activity.

The end of trends? JC Report, an online trends newsletter, has been running a provocative series called “The Death of Trends” which analyzes the shift of the fashion industry away from a two-season system and toward a more fluid system of “constantly evolving blend of eclectic micro-trends.”

Celebrations in life (weddings, anniversaries, job promotions, etc.) routinely happen, even in a recession. Consumers always seem to dig deep and find money for an occasion. Few marketers capitalize on this as successfully as champagne houses.

Eco-friendly weddings are nothing new these days, as couples are opting for organic food at receptions, invitations made of recycle paper; and hybrid getaway cars. Now, there are “Green” wedding bands made of conflict free diamonds and recycled gold, metals and stones.